CNKNA - Confused Identity
by peekodemeeko12
Summary: Wonderland is boring. So what better way to make things fun, Ace thinks, to go try and steal away a foreigner before Peter does? Follow this gripping tale of Avery Fernandez, a 6'2 MMA boxer turned - attempted, anyway - girlie girl. How in the world will she be able to continue lying to herself in Wonderland? Avery X Elliot or Gray, undecided so it's up to you to help me :3
1. Chapter 1

My eyes numbly look through the large paneled window, watching muscles contort in amazing ways. The ring in the center of the gym catch most of my attention as the shorter men wail on each other. One bounces from foot to foot and makes quick punches but the other hardly moves. That's no good, man ... you've got to _move_ in this game. If you stand still doing nothing then you're going to get hurt. Footwork is _everything_.

A man coils back with a thickly padded gloved hand before whipping forward, aiming to knock the guy out. I instinctively shift to the left, anxiously watching as the trainee takes a punch directly to the chin. Ooh~ he's down. No doubt about it. I breathe out a soft smile, wishing more than anything to be inside with them.

But I can't because I'm a girl.

Jaiden gently licks my hand, urging me to continue walking the retired police canine. My brother's lucky that I'm around most of the time to take care of his police dogs. He's working on a newer pup now. A police officer, a lawyer, a karate instructor, an MMA cage fighter, and a security guard at a high end prison basically explains my older brothers in a nutshell. With our parents gone on trips with my father my brothers basically raised me.

My forehead gently thumps against the window. And I blame them for my 'unfeminine' self. I glance off to the side within the building and spy a man look over to the window in response, jumping slightly as he has to inch his head up before finally meeting my bright blue gaze. I should go. I don't want to cause a scene.

I pull away from the window and give Jaiden's leash a gentle tug. The older German Sheppard happily follows along with me and stays close by my heels with his tongue lolling out of his mouth with pure bliss.

My brother's most recently retired police dog, Jett, remains tense and alert to every little thing around him as I make sure to stay between the two dogs. The Doberman Pinscher retired only a week ago because of a bullet injury which nearly killed him. He's still recovering but now it's only up to time for it to heal. I chuckle at his upraised ears as he remains alert and vigilant, his old training still sharp compared to Jaiden's.

My cheek twitches into a smile as I rub Jaiden's head, earning an eager nip from the older dog to my other hand. His teeth barely graze my skin, gently holding my hand in his jaws unless otherwise ordered to. He's a perfectly healthy dog but he got shot on the job years ago, forcing him to retire. He seems perfectly healthy now though he's near deaf in one ear because of the bullet.

My eyes soften as I adjust my glasses, making sure not to push too hard or else I will accidentally bend the weak metal. They are a perfectly good pair of girlish looking glasses. Girls with glasses are more 'girly', right? Or, at least it's a sign that they are girly? The whipping Chicago winds tear through the city, ruffling my slowly growing hair. I reach up, readjusting the soft threads which are now, thankfully, down to my chin. Normal girls have long hair so if I have long hair then I ... maybe I can at least act my gender.

I heavily sigh, feeling myself start to sink into another little boat of depression. I need to act more girlie. I have to. No one ... sees me as a woman so it's just so lonely. My long slender fingers gently clutch an octopus necklace my oldest brother gave to me. The large violet head was the center with two navy blue stones for the eyes as the flat tentacles fanned out like a peacock tail. I used to love octopuses so much when I was younger. I thought that with more arms I would be able to punch better like my brother in the cage. But, something cuter would be more suitable, wouldn't it? Like a bunny or something.

My eyes numbly stare over the bobbing heads of people, only seeing a person here or there who can look me straight on in the eyes. I keep my eyes down to watch where I'm going, my heart nearly jumping out of my chest as I bump into someone who's up to my shoulder in height. An embarrassed flush immediately slaps across my face as horror envelops me.

"S-S-Sorry! So sorry!" I instinctively shout, flickering my frightened eyes over the older man to make sure I didn't hurt him. What if I knocked him over by mistake? What if I hurt his arm? Dozens of guilty thoughts fly through my head as the man looks over with narrowed eyes, puzzled at first before looking up at my red face. He slightly sneers, obviously irked about getting bumped into before gruffly walking away. Jett lets out a rather aggressive bark, nearly making my heart pop in fright as he charges after what he considered to be an attacker. The man bulks and jumps slightly, startled obviously as he quickly tries to stumble away from the dogs. No, no don't! I roughly yank back on the leash, holding Jett back from attacking as the action excited Jaiden into a barking frenzy.

"N-No, quiet-! U-Um, ah, uh, Seien Sie still!" I frantically order, watching Jett dance on his paws, making a small tight circle before obediently standing by my heels along with Jaiden. I look up, about to apologize to the man but he was already long gone and everyone's eyes on me.

O-Oh gosh ... s-scary~! My heart races as I quickly walk on, my fingers trembling from the judgmental glares of everyone around me. Jaiden and Jett happily paw along with me, obviously excited and now looking for something to bark at. My heart trembles as I start to feel crushing anxiety and everyone's eyes burning holes through me.

I'm too manly.

I'm too tall.

I'm too aggressive.

I'm too self conscious.

I ... I'm just too _much_.

My eyes glue to the ground as I slow to a stop, letting the people pass by the tall obstacle in their way. Why couldn't I have been born shorter? Being 6 ft is a monstrosity. No guy wants a girl taller than they are, let alone someone who's grown up around five older brothers. I used to love being so tall because I can more readily reach stuff. I never found anything wrong with it until- Jett suddenly starts madly barking, catching my attention before I jerk on the leash.

"S-Sei-,"

_BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP_

My head snaps up, finding myself in the middle of a crosswalk and an oncoming truck screeching it's tires. My lips part with a silent scream as I put my arms up as a last defense, hearing a thunderous crash before complete silence. My eyes crack open, spying a strange man in a trench coat in front of me with a large blade buried into the truck's engine that had completely crushed the hood of the truck. Oh my-

I tremble, speechless as my heart begins to race. H-How do I react in a situation like this?! I-I-I should run and scream bu-but the danger isn't here anymore. Jett starts to aggressively growl and snarl before Jaiden joins in, their hard ingrained police training taking over. N-No, don't growl! Don't growl at the scary man, you might piss him off!

"S- Seien Sie! Seien Sie!" I frantically cry, making their growls lower in pitch. I-I need to calm down because they are reacting to me getting panicked. I take a step back as the man stands up and turns around with a cheerful grin. Seeing the long broad blade in his hand makes a shiver shoots down my spine. W-What in the world ... ?

"Aren't you tired reliving this?" The brunette asks with a frightening smile. A panicked flush slaps across my face as my legs tremble with indecision. W-What do I do? Jett lets out a bark and snarl as I pull back on the leash, holding him back due to the harness and choker around his throat.

"R-Reliving what?" I stutter as I glance to either side, spying the streets entirely clear of people and all other cars. H-How ... where did everyone go? Darn it, I knew I should have run when I had the chance! The man's face falls into a poker face before widely grinning.

"You're dea-," he starts before he freezes in mid sentence. My heart races as my eyes flicker over him. W-What just happened? He just ... just stopped moving. I nervously gulp and take a hesitant step forward, thrown for a loop as to what just happened.

"Um ... sir? Sir?" I call out, waving a hand in front of his face. He's not moving at all. The two dogs growl and dance by my sides, eagerly awaiting a command as I try to figure out what happened to the man weilding the blade. A-And the truck ... how did he break it like that with one swing? I-

"O-Oh my goodness-!" I cry in fright, dancing back as he turns into grains of sand and fade into nothing. Sharp barks ring out as their tails wag, sniffing the air for any signs of him. W-Where did he go?! My heart races as I look to either side before making a tight circle, finding the streets entirely clear of life.

"H-Hello?" I call, hearing my voice echo down the empty streets and tall buildings. This is ... freaky. No, this must be a dream. Yeah, that's it. Jaiden whines and dances back as Jett remains by my heels panting as he searches for whatever is causing me distress. My wandering gaze finally settles on a small rabbit standing on its feet, wearing a checkered red jacket and pants.

... I am _so_ confused. Why is there a rabbit dressed like this in the middle of a city?

"My love, why aren't you following me? You're supposed to play along with the game." It says, hopping forward a little bit. Both dogs fixate their beady eyes on the approaching bunny. Their growls stop, not at all intimidated or taking the rabbit as a threat before looking around and ignoring it.

" ... it's talking why is it talking." I flatly state, unable to say anything else in response. I ... this, this is a dream. It has to be. How should I react to this? Would a normal girl walk or gush about how cute it is? I ... well, bunnies are cute but I lean more towards dogs or something with teeth.

"Oh dear you must be so confused. Darn Ace, that savage brut. Oh how I wish he was a mute." The bunny huffs before hopping up to my feet. It leans forward, pawing at my shin.

"Please hurry and run, my love. If you don't come to Wonderland soon," it starts before stopping short and looking away. Without warning a large plume of smoke suddenly appears, revealing a man with white hair and long white ears. He smiles, looking troubled but tries to get past it as he looks up to me.

... uh ...

"No, no dear just follow me and I will save you." He says, gently reaching around my waist and pulled me into a hug. My mind falls blank as he leans up, kissing me on the cheek, "Allow me to be your guide, Miss Avery, and I-,"

"EEEEEEKKKKKK!" I scream before impulsively whipping my fist forward and punching the bunny man thing in the throat.

"HIERR!" I shout as I turn to run, ordering the dogs to follow me so they don't attack the already injured bunny man thing. He stumbles back and grasps at his throat, eyes wide with suprise. This isn't real, this isn't real! Talking b-bunnies turning into a man rabbit thing, not real, not real-! I feel the panic attack start to come on as both dogs eagerly run after me and keep pace, excited about the fun run while I'm terrified out of my mind.

_"Hey, did you know?"_

Home, home I need to get home-!

_"Games always have rules."_

I huff and puff as I use my long legs to dart through the streets, daringly taking a few sharp turns into some sketchy allies. Jett and Jaiden easily keep pace, leaping over some crates as I turn back into the street.

_"It's decided from the beginning ... ,"_

B-Beginning? Beginning of what? I look over my shoulder, searching for whoever was speaking. My heart stutters as I watch pieces of the buildings begin to float into the air like tiny specks, disintegrating right before my eyes. No, no why is everything disappearing-?!

_"You knew that, right?"_ The moment my foot lands I fly forward, reaching out to catch something as the rabbit man's hand catches mine and drops with me.

"Isn't this exhilarating, Avery? I promise you will find happiness." He softly says before curling his arms around my shoulders and under my knees. Jaiden and Jett let out sharp yelps as they drop into oblivion, vanishing out of sight and into the darkness.

"N-No, Jaiden, Jett-!" No, no don't leave me-! Terror wells up in my eyes in the form of frightened tears, letting out a gut wrenching scream. Where am I going? Where, where, why-

_Why_?

My eyes burst open as I feel a burst of energy from left over adrenaline shoot through my body. Without hesitation I jump up to my feet, looking around the trees and forest all around me. O-O-Oh, my goodness ... where am I?

"J-Jaiden? Jett? H-Hierr!" I loudly command, breathing hard as I search the woods for them. Oh no my brother is going to be so depressed if anything happens to them! I start to feel sick to my stomach in worry. They may be smart dogs but they aren't cut out to be running around in the wild. The streets of Chicago, yeah but not a straight up _forest_!

"Is something wrong, my love?" A voice asks. A frightened shiver runs up my spine as I whip around, spying the man with bunny ears.

"W-Who W-W-Wha?" I stutter. How would a normal girl react in this situation? Frightened, definitely frightened. "Who ar-are you?" I tremble, my fingers shaking. I need to go find Jaiden and Jett. They could be hurt for all I know!

"Oh, you wish to know more about me?" He asks with a bright smile.

"Y-Yeah." More so along the lines of where the hell you live so my older brother can book your sorry - oops, girls don't think bad words, right?

"Oh! Then, my dear, allow me to introduce myself. I am the White Rabbit, Peter White, and Prime Minister of Heart Castle." He says with a bow. The moment his eyes are off of me I take off into the woods, using my long legs to my advantage. I need to get away from him. My heart stutters as he lunges to my right with a glad smile.

"You are so spritely, my love! You're long legs are gorgeous~!" He cheerfully compliments.

"G-Get away from me-!" I cry, feeling my face heating up from the strange compliment. Who is he and why is he following me?!

"If you wish, but first I must bestow unto you, a gift!" He cheerfully smiles as he hops in front of me. I lean back in an attempt to get away from him but he opens his arms around envelops me into a tight hug, trapping my arms. My eyes flash at the juvenile attack before dipping down and shooting my arms up into the air.

"Oh?" He says before I grab his legs. I grit my teeth as my muscles strain, picking the surprisingly light man right off his feet before throwing him right other my shoulder. The man's arms shoot out and catch himself before he rolls back into a daze, staring blankly at me. I freeze, my heart stuttering with horror.

"I-I'M SO SORRY!" I nearly shout, covering my mouth from the accidental throw. I-I hadn't meant to hurt him, I swear-!

"Oh, how I am touched! You are for me-," he starts before I reach forward, cupping his jaws in my hands as I frantically look him over.

"Is your neck alright? I'm so, sorry! So ... so, sorry." She breathes, feeling tears well up in her eyes. I don't mean to hurt anyone. I'm not a monster, h-he startled me and I panicked and-

"Why do you cry, Avery?" The man softly asks, dabbing my cheeks with a small white handkerchief.

"B-B-Because I could have hurt you. I-I didn't mean it, I promise-!" I bite it off at the end, trembling as he softly touches the handkerchief over my eye.

"Don't fret, beautiful. I will not be easily broken." He gently smiles before slipping a hand into his pocket. He blinks, looking troubled before patting all of his pockets. "T-The Potion of Hearts, where is it?!" He cries, standing up to his feet as he tries to find it.

"P-Potion of Hearts?" I ask. I've never heard the term 'potion' used before besides in video games.

"Yes, so that you may play the game." He poorly explains before snapping his fingers. I must have left it in my room. Oh, how terribly careless of me! Come along, dear Avery, and I will give you the Potion of Hearts." He says, taking my hands so gently I couldn't pull away. Even through the white glove his warm fingers slide between mine, gently holding them before walking off with me in hand. He's so _gentle_. Even though I'm taller than him he's treating me like, like a _girl_. A flush touches my cheeks before the thoughts of Jaiden and Jett slam into my mind like a brick wall. I rip my hand back, softly cradling the hand he touched against my chest.

"W-Wait, I need to find my dogs Jaiden and Jett first." I say, looking around before shouting, "Hierr!" I intently listen to the forest around me, unable to hear them tromping through the bushes after me.

"My love, forget those silly flea ridden beasts. They are worse than infections of yeasts." He haughtily huffs, making my heart jerk. W-What? H-He was so sweet just a moment ago.

"B-But they are my brother's!" I say, frantic. I feel ... insulted. How would a regular girl react to this?

"Come along, Avery. It is more important that you get the Potion of Hearts." He says, firmly grabbing my wrist before gently pulling me forward.

"N-No, let go of me-!" I shout, not wanting to hurt him. Please, please let go so I don't have to hurt you!

"Please behave, Avery. I assure you everything will be alright-," he starts before I tightly grip his wrist in return and step in towards him. His eyes flash before my elbow whips around and clocks him in the side of the head. I tightly wrap my arm around the back of his neck before driving my knee up right into his gut as hard as I can. I can't stay here. I need to go and find my dogs.

He lets out a pained grunt and lets go of my wrist, trying to pull his head back from the poor excuse of a muay thai clinch. My other arm whips around and aims for his head but his arm shoots up and knocks me arm off course. He crouches down before grabbing my legs and lifting me right off the ground and over his shoulder.

"_I said let go_!" I scream, glaring at the back of his head as his ear twitches.

"Please forgive me, Avery but this is for your own - AH!" He cries in pain as I grab his ear and crush it in my fist. I will _not_ go down without fighting to my last breath. His knees buckle because of the searing pain, dropping to the ground as he clutched his ear. I roll off and onto my legs before taking off into the woods.

"S-So sorry-!" I cry, biting back tears at having to really hurt the man. Who knows, I could have broken something. B-But I need to find my dogs.

That is my first priority.

‡

So there you have it, another OC, Avery Fernandes and 6'2. I won't make Wonderland overcrowded with OCs I promise :3 so what do you think of her so far? I came up with her not too long ago but I think she'll be a hit. Her potential love interests are Peter White, Elliot March or Gray Ringmarc. Which would you like to see her paired with first? Depending on how well Avery does I will follow up with the other two characters at a later date. **_10 REVIEWS_** to find out how this goes for the girl~


	2. Chapter 2

I quickly trot through the forest, unable to find a path that could lead anywhere. I've been walking aimlessly for hours now. What in the world am I going to do? My eyes scan the forest, calling for Jaiden and Jett but try to be quiet. They will be able to follow my scent if they are near but I can't sit around and hope they come across it. I don't want that rabbit man thing finding me at all. I-If he comes at me like that again I might actually hurt him.

"Oh, there you are!" A cheerful voice says. I whip around and take a step back, staring at the red eyed brunette in a long trench coat hop out of the woods and into the small clearing I am in.

"Y-You-!" I stammer, retreating a step, "how are you alive? I saw you disintegrate in front of me!" I cry, too frightened to think anything else. He looks at me with a puzzled smile, giving a light shrug.

"I don't remember. Mr. Lizard caught me and Nightmare erased my memory. But, I _was_ able to get away with this," he cheerfully grins, happily presenting a slender little vial with a heart stopper.

"W-What is it?" I stutter, watching as he takes the top off and slips it into a pocket.

"It's the Potion of Hearts. I have no idea how I got it but since I do, that means Mr. Peter doesn't have it. I wonder if I stole it from him?" He asks more so to himself before laughing in a carefree way. "Oh well! Either way, the foreigner gets to play the game now~," he starts towards me with a confident grin, placing his thumb over the top of the vial to keep liquid from spilling out.

"Eek! No, no don't come any closer! I-I-I'm warning you-!" I shout, about to get into my fighting stance before tears of a small girl floods her mind. N-No, I didn't mean to hurt her. I didn't mean to hurt anyone. She came at me like a wildcat and there was nothing I could do but defend myself. The man smiles cheerfully as he drinks down the potion. W-Why did he-

I bulk as the man hooks his fingers around my head and pulls me down to connect our lips. W-Wait, how should I react to this?! Normally I would hurt him b-b-but what would a girl do? All thoughts freeze as I feel something warm slide between my lips, a sickly mixture of sour and bitter liquid flow between my teeth.

"YEEEEEEEEEKKKK!" I screech into the contact, punching him right in the throat. He jerks back, startled as I cough out the awful drink. Ew ... I s-swallowed some.

"Awe~ that's not fair! You need to drink it all~ down." He smiles, presenting the same vial with only a few drops missing. My hand flies to my chest, gripping the suddenly dry material. H-How did that happen? I thought it spilled onto my shirt. "Now be a good girl and-,"

"NOOOOOOOOO!" I scream, taking off into the woods. He won't be able to catch up to me running. I know he won't. My heart races with fright as I hear him barreling through the woods after me.

"STOP FOLLOWING ME~!"

BLOOD'S POV

My, how awfully boring these faceless are. Dusk shifts to Night rather quickly as we carry out our business of exterminating some bold rats who thought they could steal information from me without consequence. One by one they fall under the power of the firepower of my gun. Can't anything interesting or exciting happen? If it is simply a sign or a hint of something interesting then I will accept it. I glance to the side, noticing another faceless trying the same boring tactic. So pathetic, armed with a bat and he's trying to get to me? Heh, I'm tempted to let him get close so I can actually have some fun.

I turn my back to him and pretend to survey the massacre of faceless, intently listening as he slowly approaches before running at me. My eyes flash as I whip around, spying a streak of black leap into the air and sink it's teeth into the man's arm holding the bat.

"AAAAAHHHHH-!" The man screams as the Doberman viciously tears into the man's arm, vigorously shaking back and forth as though to rip it off entirely. Oh ho~ what is this? A rabid dog? No, it has a collar and harness on it. I watch, rather pleased as the dog rips the man off his feet and to the ground, it's jaws never loosening from the man's forearm.

"C-Call it off! Call off your dog-!" The man pleads, punching the dog's head with his fists in a desperate attempt to get free. The Doberman viciously snarls and yanks it's head back, tearing away a decent amount of the man's flesh. He takes the opportunity to get up and run but the wild hound is right after him, sinking it's teeth into the man's thigh and bringing him down once more. I look to either side, searching for who it's owner could be. This dog has been trained. I can tell by the persistence in its attacks and ferocity thereof.

"EEEEEEEKKK!" The man screeches, punching the Doberman's chest repeatedly as it climbs on top and bites the man's neck. In for kill, is it? I watch as the man grabs the dog's jaws but it already has a firm grasp on his windpipe before ripping the man's throat out. The faceless wildly rasps for air as the dog climbs off and circles him, madly barking and snarling until the faceless stops moving. What an interesting dog. The barrel of my gun aims at its head if it decides to attack me as well. That faceless was exceptionally weak to be taken down by a dog ... with eyes?

The dog shakes itself out after realizing the man is no longer a threat, trotting over towards me and circles around my legs before obediently standing by my side. He sniffs the air, as though asking for praise for his work well done. I study the hound for a few moments before shifting my gun into my cane and crouching down so I can look at its tags and harness. Police? What is police? The tags balance on my palm as I look over the name. So Jett is the dog's name. Avery Fernandez, the name of the owner ... how thrilling! A dog with eyes ... perhaps, is there a chance this dog is a foreigner? My cheek twitches into a smile.

Which means there must be a young man walking around with a beating heart.

"M-Master Blood, are you alright?" A servant asks, a little out of breath and scraped up from being ambushed.

"I am perfectly fine. Rather, I am _much_ better than I was before." I answer before heading down the alley where I could hear Elliot's shooting frenzy. A light jingling catches my attention as I glance down, spying the hound walking right beside me without a leash. Very, very well trained. I'm getting more and more interested as to who this Avery sir is.

"Elliot, leave the small fry. I want you to find someone much more entertaining."

AVERY'S POV

My heart pounds hard as I sprint through the dark forest, the only source of light coming off of the moon. Strange looking doors plastered onto the trees barely catch my eye as I dart into the center of a small field before resting my arms on my knees and catching my breath. I-I think I lost him. At times like this I'm _glad_ for my longer legs.

"Open me."

"No, me, open me!"

"Come on~ open me up~," voices say as I jerk back up and stumble back.

"W-Who's there-?!" I trill, frightened by the voices echoing all around me.

"Come open my door."

"No, mine, open mine!" The voices reverberate through my head as I stumble back, clutching either side of my head as my vision starts to get fuzzy. No, no leave me alone-!

"No, no no no _get out of my head-!_" I scream before something smacks into my stomach. I fall onto the ground, instinctively catching the smaller body that hit me. My head snaps down, spying the face of a young boy with mouse ears. He looks up with wide eyes, clearly puzzled.

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEKKKK!" I scream as I shove the screaming mouse off.

"SQUUUUUUUUUEAAK!" The little boy lets loose loud peel of terror of his own and scrambled back as I put some distance between us, panting heavily as a flustered touch of red claps across my cheeks.

"E-E-E-_EARS!_ You have a-a-animal ears!" I trill, pointing at his head while my entire arm trembles. O-Oh, my goodness what kind of hell am I in?! The little's boys puffing chest and moist eyes soften, his initial fear replaced with curious confusion. His ear flickers, making me jump and shy back

"Chu? You're scared of me, and you have eyes?" The boy asks, a long furry tail twitching as he leans forward for a better look.

"D-Don't come any closer!" I nearly shriek, scrambling back in fright with a deep flush on her face. I've had enough of people with a-animal ears today! G-G-Go away, leave me alone! My legs shake as I try to retreat further but I bump into a tree, face engulfing with horror. I'm trapped!

"Ha ha! You're so cute, chu!" He cries with a grin before diving forward.

"_I said get away from me!_" I nearly scream in my terror, visciously kicking out my long leg. The heel of my shoe sinks deep into his gut as his smiling face transforms to shock and pain, tumbling back a feet few feet as I struggle not to hyperventilate. Run, I need to run-! I turn to make a mad dash out of there, freezing as I hear soft sobbing. My heart is needled with guilt as I spin around, spying the boy on the ground and hugging his stomach.

"Wah~ w-why would you k-kick me?" He hiccups, clutching his stomach. The blood drains from my face, mortified that I hurt the young boy so badly. What in the world is wrong with me? I-I just hurt him, and I didn't hold back either! Because I panicked h-he got more hurt than he would have if I was serious.

"O-O-Oh, my goodness I'm sorry!" I frantically apologize, leaping over to him in one bound and kneel beside him. He huddles into a ball and rolls onto his knees with his forehead touching the ground, obviously trying to protect himself from getting more serious further injuries. I helplessly flutter my hands over him, trying in some way to beg for forgiveness. Oh gosh now what do I do? He's crying because I hurt him!

"H-H-Here. I know it isn't much, but here." I say, digging in my pocket. I know I have a small lollipop from the bank in here somewhere. My thin wallet slips out along with the lollipop, falling open to a picture with my five older brothers all in uniform. I stare at it for a moment and feel my heart squeeze as I see myself happily grinning with a pair of thickly padded grappling gloves on. Another small wail from the boy snaps me back to attention as I snatch the wallet back up and present to him the green round flat lollipop.

"P-Please take it, I'm really, really sorry." I apologize in a soft voice. His ear flickers up as he daringly peeks out from under the protective stance, spying the treat in my hand. He hesitantly sits up and stares at it before cautiously taking it from me. The treat rolls around between his fingers for a moment before looking back up to me as if expecting something else for what I've done to him.

"I-I know it isn't much, but it's all I have with me. I'm really, really sorry so-,"

"SQEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" He shrieks at the top of his lungs before leaping onto his feet and dashing into the woods.

"N-No, wait I'm really sorry-!" I cry before I see an arm swinging at me in my peripheral vision. My head whips back and against a hard chest before the arm gets around my neck and tightly squeezes.

"Guh-!" I whine as a body presses up from behind to reduce my movement.

"That wasn't very nice of you, Miss Foreigner. You punched me when my guard was down and I was being nice." The brunette's voice purrs as his arm tightens. H-He found me-!My throat begins to close up from the crushing force before my arms whip up and grip the suffocating limb. I dig my nails into his arm and drag it down far enough to work my chin under his arm so he can't choke me out.

"O-O-O...ff-!" I wheeze, feeling my heart race faster and faster. I can't die. No, not here. Jett and Jaiden are still lost and if I'm killed here, there's very little chance of anyone finding my body.

"And~ down the hatch!" He eagerly grins as his fingers dig into my hair and force my head back. His other hand comes around with the vial in hand and thumb over the top. I open my mouth to scream but his thumb smashes against my lips, prying my jaw open with the vial itself. The glass scraps against the edges of my sensitive teeth, the choking liquid pouring into my mouth. I shove my back against him and try to get him off balance as my tongue blocks the back of my mouth, forcing some of the liquid to drip down my cheeks while most remained in my mouth.

"Awe~ that's not fair. You need to _swallow_ the potion in order to play the game." His voice near sadistically purrs as he shoves the entire vial down my throat. The thick vial gets stuck against the back of my throat as my eyes widen, unable to breath at all while the cool liquid slithers into my stomach. N-No, it might be poison or - I ... I ...

I will go to hell sooner than die here in a forest with this man.

"That's a good girl." He smugly purrs, his arm loosening up while the vial itself chokes me. My fingers latch onto his arm before my leg shoots back and smacks against his knee.

"WHOA-!" He excitedly shouts, startled but pleased. I bend forward and flip the man right over my shoulder and onto the ground before retreating a few steps, dropping to my knees I shove my hand into my mouth. My finger grip the back of the vial and rip it out of my mouth, tossing it aside as I sputter and cough to get my breath back. L-Lucky it wasn't any further down my throat or I would have s-swallowed it. I bit back a frightened growl as I glare over my shoulder at him. I need to either run or hurt him. Run fast enough that I can lose him or hurt him so he can't get back up and follow me.

"Ooh~ impressive! I thought I was going to have to give you the Heimlich maneuver!" He cheerfully laughs, picking up the vial coated in saliva. He wipes the dirt off on his sleeve as I wobble to my feet. R-Run, don't hurt him. I take a few shaky steps, attempting to make another getaway before his hand latches onto my arm.

"Hey, Miss Foreigner, you're not going to leave your vial, are you-," he starts before I whip around with an elbow to the temple. He gives me the slip and ducks out of the way, bouncing back a little bit with a cheeky grin on his face. "Awe~ you wanna fight me? You sure that's a good idea?" He asks with a dangerous smile.

"I don't," I honestly say, putting my fists up near my cheeks as my right legs slides back a bit. My knees bend as I start swaying a bit, taking a deep breath before exhaling and analyzing my target, "but if you touch me a third time I will drop you."

"Ha ha! You can fight? I wanna see~," he happily purrs as he unbuckles his sword from his hip. My eyes flash as I hop from foot to foot, slipping a finger over my nose and taking off my glasses before tossing them back towards where I plan to leave after dropping him. I don't need them. Those are just for show, really but my brothers got me those as a gift after I made the decision to quit MMA. I didn't want to, but I ... but I didn't want to be called a dike or be judged for my hobbies, and for a short while, my profession. Call me a ninny or call me a sissy. Call me self conscious or call me a freak. Be my guest.

But when you raise a fist to me you will not walk away.

"Fun~! But, you don't fight with a weapon I guess." The man chuckles before tossing his sword into the woods. He eyes me with interest, trying to awkwardly copy my movement. I let the tension leave my body with the next exhale, waiting for his next move. His training is mainly based on the sword. His movement is clean but the power behind it messy. He's a hard hitter, not a precise attacker.

"Sorry, but I don't know how to go easy." He apologizes with cool eyes before he grins, "I've never really trained with hand to hand combat before ha ha!" A joker. A kidder. A mocker. Someone who can't fight well with fists and instead relies on weapons. I remain silent before making the first lunge, watching for his sloppy counter attack to the large opening I left. He grins and jumps forward, aiming with a poorly formed uppercut. My head barely moves to the side, feeling his knuckles scrape against my jaw before shooting my arm out and around the back of his head and yanks his head into my collarbone before forcing his head a little lower. Being taller I need to maintain control, not allowing his body to move freely.

"Ooh~ a booby shot?" He laughs, mocking my muay thai clinch as he pushes his head into my chest. My fingers dig into his hair as I pull my leg back before driving it into his gut. He bulks, realizing the true danger he is in, before putting his hands up to catch the next one. I bring my arm back and lighten up the hold, letting him try to tear his head back as a normal reaction before swinging my elbow around and digging it into the side of his head. He stumbles back, holding the bleeding cut as I dance back. He knows I'm a threat now so he has a choice; continue or be driven into the ground.

"Ha ... ha ha ha ha ha!" He laughs, seeming enthralled, "this is so much fun! You actually got a hit!" He says, pulling his head down to reveal how large the gash was. My heart trembles as I watch the blood stream down his face. I hit him hard enough to knock someone out but he's still standing. I ... I need to take out his legs somehow. At least sprain or break and ankle so he can't run after me.

"Alright~ no more going easy I guess." He grins before whipping forward. I bounce back and wait until he's close enough, immediately realizing the bear hug he's attempting despite the poor cover up.

The moment his fingers touch my arms I drop down to one knee and grab his leg, using his own momentum to knock him clear off his feet. He drops to the side as I force his leg up and, ignoring the other leg going around for a kick, wrap my legs around his thigh and hook my arm around his ankle. I need to sprain it. I have to. The unexpectedly hard kick from his other leg despite the awkward position smacks into me, making me falls down over his ankle at an awkward ankle. Crap-!

I feel the tendons and bones in his ankle strain before suddenly giving out beneath the thin layer of the long boot, crushed under my body and at the unintentional angle of falling. The man takes in a sudden breath before I let go and roll onto my legs, hopping back as I survey his awkwardly twisted foot. T-That was not my intention! I meant to strain it, not break it!

"Ha ha ha ha ha wow that hurts!" He laughs as he sits up, realizing the fight is over. He lifts up his limp foot and looks at it with a cheeky smile, probably too hyped up on adrenaline to realize just how bad it is.

"I-I'M SO SORRY!" I instinctively shout as I drop down and stare at his broken foot. O-Oh, my gosh, crap that's not good! "I-I-I only meant to sprain your ankle but you kicked me over!" I sit by his leg and gently touch the calf oh his foot and start to untie the laces.

"Huh? Aren't you going to run?" He asks, looking confused as I very gently slip his shoe off. My eyes widen as the sorely red and irritated skin was already starting to balloon up, making his foot stiff but his ankle free moving.

"B-But I broke your foot!" I cry, mortified. I've got to get him to a doctor and _then_ run for my life from him. I can't just leave him out here, he'll die!

"So? It will be fixed in a Time Change or two." He laughs, not at all caring about it. I nervously stare at the foot before going off to the side and picking up my glasses, setting them on before hopping off where I saw him throw his blade. He perks up as I reemerge from the bushes, noticing his sword now buckles around my slimmer waist.

"Ha ha am I being robbed?" He laughs with a wide grin, seeming to enjoy the thought. I kneel down right beside him and grab his arm before hooking the other around the injured leg's knee. Before he can say anything I pick him right up off the ground in the form of a fireman carry.

"Ha ha ha ha ha I'm being kidnapped!" He shouts with near delight with a grin on his face. I glance at the signs and spy the word 'town' on one before heading down that general direction.

"S-Sorry ... really, really sorry. I'll take you to a hospital." I say, swallowing my fright of walking through town with the man over my shoulders. This ... is not something a girl would do, carrying a man over her shoulders. But I need to help him. I ... can endure the r-ridicule. This is my fault. I shiver at the thought of what others will think as I try to hurry down the path but not jostle the man around too much.

"No need. I'm heading to the Clock Tower now since Julius called me on a job." He answers, seeming the enjoy the fact I could not only lift him up but also carry him.

"Julius?" I ask, assuming he's a doctor for where ever this Clock Tower is.

"Yes," Ace breathes with a smile as his eyes seem to sadden, "he's my best friend."

"Then, I will bring you to Julius." And then run for my life and away from this man.

I stumble a little bit over some loose rocks in the path, almost dropping the broken man. My grip tightens, making sure to hold firm as I continue. I almost feel that this forest is moving somehow. I cautiously glance off to the side, bulking as I swear a tree zips across the ground before settling in a new spot.

... I'm going to pretend I didn't see that.

I do my best to see through the shadows of the trees cast over the cobblestone road, ignoring my fright whenever a tree suddenly moves. This is really, really creepy. The brunette happily looks around the road, observing the moving trees as well with a smile before laughing.

"Hiya, Mr. Whale!" He cheerfully cries.

"Whale?" I ask, looking up where he was looking and jump as I spy a large boulder covered in moss. W-When did that get there?! There was all trees lining this place a minute ago! The deep creases in the boulder starts to part before a large eye rolls open, almost immediately locking onto me.

...

"EEEEEEEEKKKKKKKKKK!" I shriek as I take off down the path as fast as I can run.

"Ha ha ha you can run with me too!" The man boisterously laughs as my heart races and fears shoot up.

"THE BOULDER HAD AN EYE~~!"

Awe poor Avery lol. The finalists are Gray Ringmarc with 7, Elliot March with 7, and Peter White with 4 (unless I miscounted because there were some people who did not clearly state who they wanted).

The final set count will be shown at the top of the 3rd or 4th chapter, so you may continue leaving votes in the Reviews until I feel there have been a fair amount of people to input their decisions since I feel all three have really good potential, namely Gray - for his mothering instincts - or Elliot - because he's actually taller than her.

What do you think is going to happen in the next chapter? **_10 REVIEWS_** for the next chapter, Chickadees~ :3


	3. Chapter 3

Sorry Peter lovers but he's off the polls. The finalists are Gray Ringmarc and Elliot March so keep leaving who you would like to see her within the Reviews. The winner will be announced roughly two or three chapters from now, but there WILL be another story featuring the other couple in the future. Enjoy!

GRAY'S POV

The large dog softly whines as I finish up the bandages around his chest and torso. I still can't believe a dog of this size was stupid enough to leap off of a building and nearly land on me. If I had known it was a dog I would have caught it rather than let it land. I gently pet his head as it lays down, doing his best to find a comfortable spot to lie down. He's lucky it was only a few cracked ribs and a sprained paw.

"Grayyyy~ let me take a break~," Master Nightmare whines as he lays across the top of his desk, blatantly ignoring the stacked paperwork.

"Not until you're done." I chastise, doing my best to ignore his whining as I try to feed the dog some medicine. His nose scrunches up as he huffs, turning his head in refusal. My eyes run over the dog's harness lying on the coffee table, running my eyes over the word 'Police'. Is that some sort of organization or is it the dog's name? He certainly responds well to the word Police. But then there's the big bulky green collar on him. Avery ... that's the young woman Nightmare keeps talking about. I'm assuming this dog belongs to her then. Oh, so that makes this a foreigner dog?

"Heh ... it looks like Avery is coming to _us_." Master nightmare says with an excited grin.

"Is she?" I ask, glancing out the window. Well, a large tower in the middle of town is awfully hard to miss.

"Wah~ I can't wait!" He excitedly cries, rolling around on his desk and knocking over stacks of paper.

"Master Nightmare-!" I start, leaving the injured dog lying on the couch before picking up the paperwork. Honestly can't he be more considerate of the work I put into organizing all these documents so they would make sense for him? I pause and wait for his response but it never came. I roll an eye up to Master Nightmare, spying him a tense and fixated on view out the window.

"Master Nightmare." I say, ready for an order. Something is wrong.

"Gray, go find her. She's in the woods and will be in town soon. The lands are starting to get more unstable while everything is moving around." He says, looking honestly concerned. Before he was confident about her arriving her on her own but now he is weary? Something is most assuredly wrong.

"Yes, Master Nightmare. I will find and retrieve Miss Avery." I acknowledge before heading to the door. The dog perks up at the name 'Avery' and gets up with a high pitched whine.

"No, no boy, stay down." I try to coax, watching as he slips onto his feet. He wobbles for a few moments but starts to limp towards the door, sniffing the air. I step in front of him and gently wrap my arms around it's forepaws and back legs but he starts to struggle. If I'm not careful he's only going to further injure himself.

"Go ahead and take him. He could probably track her scent," Nightmare laughs, probably planning to relax while I am out searching for Miss Avery.

"Very well. And I expect for all that paperwork to be done and properly organized before I get back." I say, gesturing to the mess on the floor.

"GWAH!" He hacks, immediately dipping down and aiming for the trashcan.

"Please don't throw up blood on the documents, Master nightmare."

AVERY'S POV

My muscles tremble and ache from the long search as I finally come to a stop and rest for a bit. I hunch over and lean against a nearby bench, letting my breath catch back up to me. The soles of my feet ache from carrying the heavy man and walking around for so long. Goodness I'm tired. The man's body trembles with laughter before it bursts out in a loud, ear popping blow.

"I'm amazed you could run so fast with me on your back!" The man heartily laughs as I wobble forward. Last night was a nightmare. Fish suddenly started swimming through the air and, with little to no warning, the sky suddenly changed from night to sunrise! I can't ... I can't take much more of this. I just can't. If this is some messed up dream from drinking too much diet Pepsi before bed then please wake up soon!

"Ha ha! We finally made it to town! Clover Tower is that way." The knight points out with a broad grin. I lazily crane my head back to stare at him. Is it? Because I've been walking around for hours and we _just_ made it to town, when I could see this path connecting to the one I was on when I started. Is it possible he just has a terrible sense of direction?

"I think I'm going to asks for directions." I say, looking around the near empty street before spying a lone man kneeling by the edge of a shop, propping the leg of a broken table up with a few bricks.

"Awe~ you don't trust me?" He laughs as I walk up behind the hunched over man and gently tap him on the shoulder. I'm sure he will be nice enough to help me.

"Um, excuse me, could you tell me where Clock Tower _is_-?!" I jolt at the end, frightened as I stare into smooth slopes on the man's head where his eyes should be. W-Where are his eyes?!

"Ma'am?" He asks, tilting his head in confusion. I-I-Is that normal? Is that some sort of serious health condition? I-I shouldn't stare, it's rude. I nervously gulp as my legs start to tremble a bit, wanting to run away but I hold firm.

"U-U-U-Uh, y-y-y-y-yes, er, can you please tell me where C-Clock Tower is?" I stiffly ask, nervously gulping. Don't stare at his face don't stare at his face d-don't stare at his face-! I listen closely for his instruction, pointedly looking away and trying not to rudely gawk at him.

" ... uh, sure?" He says, clearly puzzle as to why I'm so stiff, "Clock Tower was just over there," he says, pointing me in the right direction. I ignore the past tense he used as my eyes dart towards him and glance at where he is directing me to go.

"Thank you-!" I quickly say, adjusting the knight on my shoulders before dashing off. What happened to his eyes?! There were no scars or anything so where were they? Even if it was some sort of horrible disfiguration at birth he would still have some sort of scar tissue there. But ... i-it felt like he was staring right at me even without actual eye balls.

"H-Hey, is that Julius's dog?!" The man shouts. I glance back at him the moment he said dog, immediately looking around for an actual dog. Dog? Could it be Jaiden or Jett?

"H-Hierr." I call, looking around and listen intently for the tapping of paws. If he saw a dog maybe it's one of my dogs? But who's Julius?

"Uh oh~ you talked to the wrong faceless, Miss Foreigner." The knight chuckles though his jaw strains a bit.

"W-Wrong faceless?" I stutter as I turn back around face the man as he pulls out a small pocket watch from his jacket. Why did he call him a faceless? My eyes widen as the pocket watch fades and visibly reassembles in the blink of an eye into a gun.

"I-It turned into a _gun_!?" I cry, startled as I wobble back from the man shifting on my shoulders. How? How did a watch turn into a handgun?!

"You murdered my father, Knight of Hearts." The faceless coldly states, his hand trembling as he keeps the barrel locked onto the man. M-Murder? Just who am I carrying right now?! My head whips back, spying the knight's cool smile.

"Your father hid the clocks from Julius." He simply states, doing nothing at all to help the situation and instead makes it worse. Isn't there something else you could have said?!

"W-W-Wait, let's talk about this-," I start, stumbling back as he takes a few steps forward. Please, please don't involve me I'm just helping someone I hurt so why am I being punished and dragged into this?!

"No. This man killed him and took his clock-!" He starts before an old, reverberating bark sounds nearby. The man's head snaps down the alley as Jaiden makes a weak lunge for the man, sinking his canine teeth into the arm with the weapon.

"AAAAAAHHHHH-!" The man shouts in searing pain and anger as he tries to rip his arm out of the dog's jaws. Jaiden hops in the air a bit before ripping his head back, snarling and refusing to let up on his hold. The man sneers as he brings his gun back. My heart drops to the put of my stomach, horrified. Let go, Jaiden let go!

"FUSS!" I shout, ordering him to heel. The man's arm slips out from Jaiden's jaws as he brings the butt end of the pistol down and over the dog's head. A sharp yelp sounds as he jumps away, limping on his unstable paws. What happened to him? The man grits his teeth before bringing he weapon back for the dog.

"Don't shoot!" I shout as I throw the knight off my back and lunge forward, aiming to knock the gun right out of his hand. A shiver rivets up my spine as I spy a dark figure press a knife against the man's throat, making him stiffen up in fear. I stumble forward, breathing hard as I meet the gaze of the topaz eyed man with black hair. He stares at me for a moment, measuring my level of threat, before looking to the man with the gun.

"This here is neutral territory for not only Role Holders, but faceless as well. This is a warning." The man coolly says before withdrawing his blade into a casing fastened to his wrist. I ignore the faceless man as he runs off, my eyes glued to Jaiden's weak state.

"My goodness, Jaiden-!" I cry, feeling pained for the whimpering dog as I kneel beside him. He dances on his paws, making sure not to touch the ground with the bandaged one, as he whines and happily pushes his head against my stomach. I nervously brush my fingers through his fur, listening to him whimpering with joy and pain. My eyes run over the bandages over his chest and foot. Who bandaged him?

"Hello, Miss Avery. Are you alright?" The man asks, offering a hand in my direction. His bright, fiery eyes keep a steady lock on me as I return the stare, trying not to fall right into his eyes.

"Y-Yeah," I breathe, my face reddening with embarrassment. H-He's got _gorgeous_ eyes. A faint whimper from Jaiden catches my attention as he lays down, head on my lap.

"Did ... you bandage my dog?" I ask, gently petting Jaiden's head. His eye lids slowly close, thoroughly enjoying the gentle treatment.

"Yes, I did. I came upon him when he was injured." The man says as he crouches down along with me. He remains silent for a little while, watching my fingers stiffly comb through Jaiden's fur.

"O-Oh, thank you, um ... ," I trail off, trying to think of what to call him.

"Gray Ringmarc, " he finishes before smiling, "would you care to come with me, Miss Avery?" The man asks as he looks at me. My flush deepens with embarrassment at the gentle question.

"C-Come with you?" I stutter, suddenly nervous as pins and needles stab my stomach. This gorgeous eyed man wants me to come with him?

"Yes. Master Nightmare would like to meet you in person." He says, reaching forward and very gently slides his hand under Jaiden's jaws. The old dog lifts his head slightly, thrumming a faint grunting sigh as the man softly rubs back and forth.

"M-Master Nightmare?" I ask. That's a name? That's a, er, scary name. Who wants to call themselves 'Master Nightmare'? I shiver at the thought, tempted to go just because this man asked me. N-No, no I need to find Jett first.

"I-," I start before the knight interrupts with a long sighing boo.

"Awe~ boo~ did you forget about me already?" The brunette's voice calls with a laugh. My heart nearly leaps into my throat, just remembering that I had dropped him onto the sidewalk.

"O-Oh gosh, so sorry! Um, do you know where a hospital is?" I ask, turning to Gray who's narrowed eyes linger on the man.

"Ace, what did you do?" He demands more so than asks.

"I didn't do anything, Mr. Lizard." The knight innocently claims with a smile.

"Y-Yes, well, he-," I start, wanting to explain it but at the same time hesitate. Will he think horrible of me because of what I did?

"It was amazing, Mr. Lizard! The foreigner kicked my a**!" Ace heartily laughs with a cheeky grin, resting his chin on his hand.

"I beg your pardon?" Gray asks, looking over to me in confusion. O-Oh gosh-!

"I-I-I-I-!" I nervously stutter. Here it comes again. The embarrassment. The shame. The guilt and the accusations. Please ... please don't judge me so harshly before you get to know me. I know I hurt him but it was an accident and-and-! No ... why bother explaining? No one listens to the giant who hurts the smaller person even if it was a mistake. They'll just point and mock and believe what they want to, believing I hurt them on purpose because I am bigger and stronger than they are.

My words and sorrow mean nothing.

"Never mind that. Please come with me, Miss Avery." Gray asks, gently picking Jaiden up into his arms. I snap to attention, suddenly remembering where I am. My eyes shoot back to the grinning knight and to the man who saved us, torn as to what to do.

"B-But we can't leave him here." I anxiously say, feeling guilty about breaking his foot. I-I still need to take him to a hospital to get his foot looked at.

"Sure we can. That faceless will be back, I'm sure." Gray says with a sweet smile.

"B-B-But he'll die!" I cry, stunned at the horrible in taste joke he made. That's terrible!

"Awe~ so cold, Mr. Lizard." The knight laughs. Gray stares at my mortified expression for a few moments before sighing.

"Very well, I will bring him to Clover Tower and give him aide." He says, gently setting the dog in my arms. The way he hands Jaiden to me hardly causes a sound to slip past his lips. Rather, Jaiden looks content instead of pained due to the caring way he handled him.

"Thank you." I softly smile, gently thrumming my fingers through Jaiden's fur with a faint touch of pink on my cheeks. He's so soft and gentle with Jaiden. He glances at me for a moment before walking over to Ace and tossing the knight over his shoulder.

"Wow~ Mr. Lizard, you're being so nice," he snickers as Gray tries to visibly ignore him before the knight smiles, "and I wonder why that is?"

This was a long chapter so I decided to split it in half. **_10 REVIEWS_** for the next chapter~


	4. Chapter 4

ELLIOT'S POV

My ears stand tall and alert as I walk around town through mainly the alleys, listening for anything that could direct me to this Avery guy. It's surprising how much Intel anyone can gather if they simply _listen_. Blood told me something weird ... he told me to listen for something that is _not_ a clock while searching for this Avery. But as to why Blood is so interested in this 'Avery' I'm not sure. I have to admit that I'm curious. Did the dog showing up mean something more significant that Blood isn't telling me? Well, I guess I can always beat the information out of the man.

" ... Avery, and," a voice a little distance away says rather loudly. My ears perk up at the name and immediately start heading over to the man who said it, listening intently to the conversation as he starts to hone in.

"Avery? Strange name. And the lizard defended the faceless?" Another voice curiously asks. I silently stalk their voices through the alleys, crossing a street to get to the area they are in. Faceless out for early morning errands shy away and wisely retreat, knowing there is trouble ahead if I'm present.

"That's the thing! Avery had _eyes_ man, eyes! Like a Role Holder but the a**hole doesn't act like one at all." The faceless says as I approach a corner. I slow down, listening to the echoes in the alley. He's just down this alley but I want to catch him alone.

"Hm ... that is definitely interesting information. Thank you for your time, kind citizen." A voice says before feet start to recede away. Hm ... I'm going to have to track that man down and kill him if it becomes an inconvenience to Blood. I doubt he wants information he wants frivolously floating around.

"H-Hey wait, aren't you going to pay me? Like you said you would?" Ah~ payment for information, hm? He definitely must be working with the Griffin family. That is the only organization that respects other faceless and doesn't try double crossing other faceless too often, anyway.

"Oh, yes. Here you are. Try not to let a Role Holder get a hold of this information." The man says as I stand by the corner to hear out the rest of their conversation. My ears remain tall and alert as I smirk. Not too smart saying that so loudly. I listen to their feet as they walk away, listening to the man flipping bills in his hand. That's the one that knows the information since he was just paid however much he was.

I press against the wall and watch the faceless step out of the alley, eyes glued to the bills in his hands. After a block or two I'll nab him. I don't want that other faceless hearing him screaming. I quietly stalk the man at every turn, waiting until he steps down another empty alley before leaping up behind him. My arm whips out and tightly grips his shirt, yanking the smaller man right off his feet.

"Yeek-!" He cries between clenched teeth as I slam him up against the wall, pressing my gun to his head as I shove my forearm against his throat.

"That's some interesting information you have there." I start with a grin. I'm lucky to have run across this guy who actually knows this Avery guy. I thought I would be snooping around for a couple Time Changes just to hunt information about him down so there's no way I'm letting this opportunity go to waste.

"W-Why are Hatters out here-?!" He chokes out, startled to see me at any time during the day. It's still Dawn so it's not _that_ odd.

"Tell me where the man named Avery is." I flatly order, wanting to get this Avery as soon as possible to Blood.

"Y-Y-Yes, I will tell you." He says, caring more for his life rather than his word to the man before.

"Good." I say, "now, his whereabouts?"

"H-Him?" He stutters confused. My eyes narrow before aiming down, shooting right through his leg before muffling his screams with my forearm. I look off to either side, letting him come to terms with the agony as I make sure his voice didn't catch anyone's attention. He trembles and makes small shakes with his head as if to plead for no more.

"You said you'd tell me everything you knew so where's the confusion?" I sternly demand, cocking the gun right up against his genitals as I move my arm across his throat again.

"A-A-Avery isn't a he it's a _she_!" He whines between choking breaths, struggling not to be too loud in fears I'll shoot him dead right here and now. A she?

"And you said something else. Something about eyes?" I demand, tucking that information into the back of my head. Woman or man Blood will still want to see Avery.

"Y-Y-Yes! She had bright blue, big eyes. Eyes l-like a Role Holder bu-but I've never seen her before." He stutters between his shaking breath.

"How could she possibly have eyes if she isn't a Role Holder?" I ask, doubtful of the source of information. This sounds like a wild goose chase that I'm on.

"Alright then tell me this. Where is she now?" Blood told me to bring her to him so that is exactly what I'm going to do. If it turns out she's a fake, I'll shoot the b**** dead and drag the corpse to him. But if she doesn't exist, then I'll be forced to go back empty handed and Blood won't like that very much.

"T-T-The last I saw her with was the Lizard. T-That's all I know, I swear!" He cries, praying I would believe him.

"I believe you."

_BANG_

AVERY'S POV

"W-Wonderland ... ," I quietly mutter under my breath, struggling to take in all of the information at once. My fingers nervously thrum against the desk as Ace softly laughs, letting Jaiden lay on top of him. It's nice of Ace to let Jaiden sleep with him on the couch but I'm concerned as to how much he might move around.

"Yes. I'm sure this is quite a lot to take in so please take your time." Nightmare smiles, sitting on his desk where there is a mountain of paperwork with more spilled onto the ground. My fingers shakily start busying themselves without really thinking, picking up the paperwork and organizing them by the dates in the top left corner.

This is crazy. I'm in a whole new world where most people don't even have faces?

"Well, not entirely crazy. All the Role Holder's have eyes, which means they hold some sort of important position." Nightmare says with a smile as he looks over to me.

"Oh, really-wait, but I didn't say anything did I?" I ask, reviewing what I've said so far. Did I ask about the Role Holders or did the thought just occur to him?

"Oh, not at all. I just read your mind that's all." He answers with a smile.

"T-Telepathy?!" I gasp, startled that such a power exists. Y-You can hear my thoughts?

"Uh, yes, I suppose it would be telepathy in your terms. But, simply put, I can read the minds of those around me." He shrugs. That's ... the same thing, isn't it?

"Here is your hot cocoa, Master Nightmare. I will allow a few minute break due to the mess over the floor you left." Gray heavily sighs as he enters with three mugs on a tray.

"Yay~!" Nightmare enthusiastically cries, reaching out for the mug and eagerly blows on the top to cool the liquid down enough to drink. I barely pay attention to him as I gather the papers in my arms and stand up, catching Gray's attention.

"Miss Avery, there's no need for you to pick up Master Nightmare's mess." Gray says as he steps in my direction.

"I-I-It's not a problem I li-like to busy myself at t-times." I stammer, suddenly nervous as I catch sight of his eyes. My spine stiffens a bit as my cheeks touch with pink, letting him smoothly take the papers out of my hands and replace them with a mug of hot cocoa.

"I've made this cup especially for you, Miss Avery. Do enjoy it." He happily smiles. I nervously swallow with a deeper blush as I look down, staring at the swirling hot chocolate.

"T-Thank you." I softly thank, touched by his thoughtful gesture.

"Mr. Li~zard~ do I not get one? So mean~," Ace whines from the couch as he stares over at our happy circle.

"You did not ask for one." He simply states, taking the last mug and taking a sip out of it.

"Boo~ Avery didn't ask either." He points out with a clear pout. Gray ignores him and takes another sip of the hot cocoa before twitching. He quickly sets the mug on Nightmare's desk and quickly walks over to the door, slipping out the crack. Did he forget something?

"Stay here, Avery." Nightmare warns under his breath, taking another sip as he stares at the wall into the hallway, as if he could see what was happening. I-Is there something dangerous? I take a hesitant step back, eyeing the door with nervous apprehension.

"What business does the mafia have here?" Gray's voice says. M-Mafia?! My head whips around to Nightmare who only shrugs, seeming not to care about the title.

"I only have business with the one named Avery. I know she's in there because I can hear her." The other voice retorts. A shiver crawls down my spine as my fingers tremble. What could the mafia possibly want with me? I didn't do anything!

"Leave, Elliot March."

"Not until I talk with her." The voice stiffly growls.

"Let him in." Nightmare calls out.

"WHY?!" I shout before slapping a hand over my mouth and shoot my head towards the door. Oh goodness I hope he didn't hear that! I spy Gray open the door and a man with orange hair in a black trench coat and violet scarf walk in. The most noticible feature, however, was his long ears poking out of his head. E-Ears ... he has them too ... just how common are they here? The rabbit man's violet eyes carefully study me as I stand beside Nightmare's desk, nervously playing with my hands as I glance off to the side, shivering under his intense gaze. Scary~

"You're Avery?" The man asks as if to confirm something. I jolt and snap to attention, feeling my heart pop in my chest from fright.

"Y-Y-Yes sir!" I stiffly cry, my heart beating fast and furious. H-He looks so _serious_!

"I see ... then, you should recognize this." He says, reaching into a jacket pocket and pulling out Jett's thick red collar. My eyes widen at the sight of it.

"T-That's Jett's collar!" I cry, taking three quick strides towards him before taking the leathert in my hands and making sure it is Jett's collar. I turn and flip it in my hands, the number of scratches and worn marks exactly as I remember them. This _is_ Jett's collar!

"W-W-Where did you find it?" I frantically ask, trying not to panic. Please, please tell me nothing bad happened to him-!

"On the dog itself. He is currently resting at the Mansion." The man answers, seeming to relax a bit despite the tension in the room.

"I-Is he alright?" I nervously ask, wringing the collar in my hands.

"From what I've seen yes but he's got a small limp." He tacks on, not looking too concerned about it himself.

"Y-Yeah, I know he does." I say. That's because the muscles in his forearm are still healing after getting shot at. He should be perfectly back to normal after a month or so. "C-Can you take me-,"

"Why did you come, Elliot March?" Grays interrupts as I tightly clutch the collar in my fingers. I-I want to see him. I need to make sure Jett is alright.

"For the woman. Blood wants to meet her." He says before his fingers curl around my wrist. I bulk, startled as he starts to firmly pull me along with him. I walk along with him, warring with myself. Should I go? They have my dog but t-they are the mafia, so they have to be dangerous and scary people.

"I advise against it, Miss Avery. The mafia is a dangerous people to be with." Gray warns as he catches Elliot's other arm. Elliot's violet eyes flash towards Gray, looking to be in no mood for bantering. I flinch as his grip painfully tightens.

"H-Hey that hurts-," I try to tell him but his attention is solely focused on Gray.

"She's already agreed to come with me, Ringmarc, before you interrupted her." Elliot huffs, breaking Gray's grasp before continuing.

"I SAID LET GO!" I shout before grabbing his wrist to hold him steady. He barely turns his head in time before I land a fist right in his eye socket, making him stumble back before falling flat on his back. Everyone remains in a stunned silence as I realize what I've done. I-I-I just punched him-!? My heart drops to the pit of my stomach as I stare at the clearly unconscious man.

"Ha ha ha ha! I _knew_ you were a real knock out!" Ace heartily laughs as I drop to my knees and cup his cheeks with a rising panicked flush on my face.

"So sorry! I'm so sorry!" I cry, gently patting his cheeks in an attempt to revive him. No, no please be alright!

"That's a frightening punch you have there." Gray mutters, looking over the after effects of the powerful knockout punch. I feel my heart tightly clench at his words, feeling the stinging pang of guilt. B-But it was an accident. I don't mean to be frightening and neither do I want to be. Warm tears drip down my cheeks as I pull back my hands, covering my mouth and nose. I'm a hideous crier.

"I-I'm so sorry, so sorr-y-!" I hiccup, making the chatter in the room hit dead silence. I never meant to hurt anyone. I panicked when he kept tightening his hand around my wrist and it started to hurt. H-He's part of the mafia and he's dangerous, and he was h-hurting me and then I hit him - oh goodness I'm awful-!

"H-Here, Miss Avery. Why don't you get some rest?" Gray gently says with a worried expression, placing a handkerchief to my nose and gently sets an arm over my shoulders.

"S-Sorry-!" I whine as he helps me to my feet.

"B-B-But the man-," I lightly sob, trying not to panic again. He got hurt because of me. He really, really got hurt-!

"He will be fine. I will care for him, rest assured." Gray offers, moving his arm to my waist and guides me out of the office. Ace and Nightmare remain completely quiet as Gray gently takes me down the hall and rubs my back in soft, circling motions.

"I promise he will be just fine. It takes more than that to take down the mafia's number two." Gray reassures, as if that tidbit of information will make things better. New tears spring into my eyes from the sheer horror of the situation.

"And he's high ranking-!" I start, feeling more tears spill down my cheeks. That's even _worse_! He'll hate me when he wakes up, there's no doubt. Just like ... just like that other guy in the ring. H-He was so mad, so mad and s-scary just because I beat him-!

"It's alright, Miss Avery." Gray says, trying to comfort me more as he opens a door to a nearby room. His hand slides over my palm and directs me to the bed, letting me hold his handkerchief against my nose and held hide some of my face.

"I'll be right back, Miss Avery." He says, leaving his handkerchief with me as he leaves the room. Oh gosh I'm so ashamed ... I shouldn't have punched him like that. I've been so jumpy a-and have been doing things without thinking them through first. It's pathetic and stupid of me to have hit him. He didn't do anything wrong and I go ahead and knock him out! I shiver with disgust at myself as Gray enters the room again, carrying Jaiden in his arms. I sniffle and move aside a little bit, trying to calm myself down as he sets the old police dog on the bed and by my side.

"Don't fret, Miss Avery. Elliot March will wake up shortly, I'm sure." He says, hesitating before kissing my forehead and retreating, "I promise I will take care of it." He sweetly says before leaving. N-No, please don't go. I reach out to grab his cloak but it slips out of my hands. H-He definitely thinks different of me. I-I try so hard to be a sweet girl b-but then I go and hit the poor rabbit man!

Wah~ again, I've frightened everyone again-! Jaiden gently licks my cheeks, trying to clean my face of the unsightly tears. I hiccup and hold Gray's handkerchief to my nose. I ... I just don't know what to do anymore. I've been so, so stressed ... m-maybe with is just a combination of things? Jaiden offers one last kiss before the strain is too much for him, lying down alongside me. Oh Jaiden ... you're not scared of me, are you boy? You're the only one that hasn't left me yet. I sniffle and lay down, hugging him close but being sure to avoid hurting him.

Why ... why do I just hurt people?

"Avery? May I come in?" Nightmare asks as he knocks on the door. My eyes crack open, staring at the door with puffy red eyes as Nightmare slips inside and shuts the door. Did ... I cry myself to sleep? I rub my eyes, trying to get the irritation out of them.

"Are you feeling better?" He asks, walking over to the bed and taking a seat by my head.

" ... not really." I mumble. He wouldn't understand why I burst into tears. Even I don't really understand it myself.

"I think you'd be surprised at how much I _do_ understand, Avery." Nightmare softly smiles as he picks up my limp head and sets it on his lap. I don't bother resisting as he gently strokes my hair, running his fingers through the soft threads. Does he understand, really? When I was little I was stronger than everyone. I tried making friends but no one wanted a giant friend like me because I would accidentally hurt them. I don't blame them for avoiding me now but back then I ... was so _alone_.

"You're not alone here, Avery. In this world, dear, you will _never_ be left behind." Nightmare says with a soft smile, gently pinching the midsection of my glasses. I lift my head and let him slide them off, listening to the metal tap together as he folds them with one hand.

"How is that possible?" I numbly ask, staring into nothing as I hold Jaiden close to my chest. My fingers rub circles in his stiff fur, feeling his chest rise and fall with each sleepy breath he makes.

"That's because this is Wonderland, Avery. You'll find a role here for yourself soon enough, I assure you." He says, gently tugging and messing with my hair. A role, huh? I had a role back home. I was the little sister of five older brothers. I was a ring champion ... until I retired early.

"Yes but those were not fulfilling roles, were they?" He asks with a light chuckle, "you will find one soon enough. Just remember, Avery, don't be afraid to be who you are and you will succeed in this world." Nightmare hums as he twirls his fingers around a lock of hair. Succeed in this world ... but it's hardly been a day and I've hurt two grown men already. That's not a very attractive feature in a woman, I'm sure.

"You'd be surprised at how many Role Holders will like that." Nightmare smiles, sliding his fingers into my hair and gently ruffling it. I doubt that. A lot, actually. Who wants a girl that can pound someone's face in so easily? I try ... I try to get some more 'girly' attributes like learning how to sew and cook and all. I'm pretty good at it but I think I'm starting to lose sight of what I want in myself.

"Go ahead and sleep, Avery. You'll want your rest if you want to meet Hatters tomorrow." Nightmare says, clearly displeased with the thought but otherwise holds his tongue. "And don't think too hard about how to act, Avery. Just you being yourself will be the most beautiful thing you can do." He says, softly rubbing my forehead with his thumb before gently kissing it. I breathe out a smile and look up at him with soft eyes.

"Thank you, Nightmare." I say before laying back down again, resting my tired eyelids for a little bit. He's so nice ... not at all what I would expect from someone called 'Nightmare'.

What do you think Elliot's reaction to being KO'd by a girl is? Will he be embarrassed and upset or do you think he will be impressed? Let me know in the reviews~ **_10 REVIEWS_** for the next chapter~


	5. Chapter 5

"U-Um, how is your eye feeling?" I hesitantly ask, nervously trailing behind the large man. He's ... a few inches taller than me. I'm not used to seeing that. I mindlessly stare at his broad back, jolting as he glances over his shoulder. His eye isn't very swollen anymore but it sure has a large purple and black bruise all around his eye. I nervously gulp, unable to look away from his violet eyes as he waves me forward.

"Don't walk behind me, walk next to me." He says, moving over on the road a little bit.

"Y-Yes sir," I politely say, trying my best not to offend him any further. Ouch~ that eye looks really bad. I think he should have iced it more before we left.

"Don't call me sir, it makes me feel old." He says, not at all sounding mean or biting. He just sounds ... numb. Oh gosh he's definitely holding it against me that I punched his eye.

"S-Sorry." I apologize, again trying not to make him mad.

"And stop apologizing to me. It's getting on my nerves." He says with little indication of getting mad about it other than the words itself.

"You're telling me to do an awful lot of things." I say out loud before covering my mouth, face flushing with embarrassment. Why would I say that out loud?! He pauses in stride, glancing over to me with an unreadable expression before it pulls into a grin.

"That's more like it." He approvingly chuckles. My face remains a bit red from his rolling laughter, making my heart skip a beat from the sound of it. Ah~ that deep, throaty laugh is nice to listen to.

"R-Right. I just don't want you t-to be holding hard feelings about it." I nervously say, feeling like I need to hear it from him to be completely sure about it.

"Hard feelings?" He asks, looking over to me with honest confusion.

"Y-Yes. You don't, er, dislike me for hurting you?" I hesitantly ask, almost afraid for the answer he'll give me.

"Ha. Not at all. I'm more impressed you were able to knock me flat on my a**." He flashes me a toothy grin, laughing more at what happened than being mad at it. At first he didn't believe that I had actually knocked him out and thought that Gray pulled some sort of dirty cheap shot.

Well, it _was_ a cheap shot in definition but it was from me and not Gray. Until I sheepishly admitted it he stared dumbly at me before his entire face lit up a deep red of embarrassment. Ah~ I feel bad for him. I understand that, for guys, losing to a girl is the _worst_ thing to happen due to all the back lash from friends poking fun at them. Apparently it's not 'manly' to get beat by a girl. I know all about that from my five older brothers and, being the only female, was the emotional support for them all.

"D*** brats aren't at their posts again." Elliot huffs, sounding annoyed as we approach tall metal wired gates with the doors wide open. I stay quiet and take a look around, impressed with all of the gorgeous rose bushes everywhere. It's so beautiful in here.

"It's beautiful in here." I compliment, unable to keep myself from opening gawking at the gardens.

"I see the young lady is admiring my gardens. Are you familiar with gardening?" A familiar voice suavely says. My eyes widen as I spin around, spying Jeffery in a white suit like get up and a tall black top hat. H-How did my brother get here?! Jett is obediently standing by his side, his stumpy tail wagging but obediently remains by his master's side. "Oh dear, have I stunned the young lady to silence-,"

"Jeffery, thank goodness you're alright!" I cry, wrapping my arms around him and yanking him into a hug, "I'm so glad you see you here! What happened?" He stiffens up a little bit, a little put off by the hug as I let him pull back a little bit. My hands cup his jaws, making him look up to me as I search his green eyes. His ... eyes are different. They are the same color and all but they look more defensive and harsh, not glowing and kind.

"H-Hey, Avery, that's my boss." Elliot says, obviously a little alienated by my sudden

"B-Boss?" I ask, letting go of his face. The brother look alike gently takes my right hand, pulling it towards his mouth and kissed the back of it.

"My name is Blood Dupre, young lady. It's a pleasure to meet such an enthusiastic lady." He smiles, letting me slide my hand from his grasp. B-Blood? I stare at him in confusion before down to Jett. Jett would _never_ follow anyone else around besides my brother. I have trouble myself trying to walk him every now and then.

"U-Um, so-sorry. You look just like my older b-brother." I stutter, face flushing in embarrassment. I-It's shocking how much he looks like him. A-And his cologne and, though it sounds weird, his smell is the same. That must be why Jett is following him around. I nervously crouch down, trying to distract myself by petting Jett and making sure he's alright. He pulls his head out of the way, his training of not letting strangers touch him still intact.

"Jett, sitz." I order. The doberman wavers on his feet for a moment before obediently sitting down, head low as I gently pet his head with a smile. "Bravy, Jett, bravy."

"I see you know how to command the dog. I've been trying to figure out his commands since he continues to follow me around." Blood chuckles, a small glint in his eye as he watches me pet the dog.

"O-Oh, sorry about that." I apologize, nervously looking over the dog's uncovered face, "did you take off his muzzle?"

"I did not. When he found me he was not wearing one." He says.

"He must have slipped out of it then." I conclude, wrapping an arm around his neck so his head was resting on my shoulder. A faint growl rumbles in his chest as I open a small bag on the side of his harness, pulling out an extra leash. Jett tries to pull back, knowing exactly what I'm going to do but my arm holds firm.

"Blieb ... ," I trail off in a reprimanding way, pulling back as I loop the handle around his snout. Until I can buy a new one this will have to do.

"I'm impressed young lady. He seldom let any of the servants or maid touch him let along bound him." Blood chuckles, seeming amused with the dog's obedience to me.

"That's because he knows Jeffery will punish him if he hurts me." And because I know all of the same commands and say them with confidence - most of the time. He whines and pulls back before I hold his snout still, wrapping the leash around his jaw and tying it off before hooking it to his collar.

"I'm sorry for the inconvenience and thank you for taking care of him." I say, standing up with the leash before turning to leave. I should probably leave as soon as I can. I don't want to get on the Mafia's b-bad side.

"You're not planning to leave are you?" Blood asks, catching my hand. I stiffen, turning back around towards him a little faster than I meant. My arm holds back, nearly unleashing a punch right to the man's kisser. Y-Yeah, that wouldn't be good nope not at all. My focus shifts slightly, seeing Elliot tense up a little bit from my quick movement.

"O-Oh, I, um," I start, trying to nervously think of an excuse as to why I can't stay.

"Stay for a tea party. I wish to get to know the young lady some more." He earnestly smiles.

"A-Alright I can stay. Thank you." I weakly smile. I-It won't be that bad. Besides, I need to thank them somehow for taking care of Jett.

"Excellent. Come this way, the tea party is already starting." He smiles as he walks ahead of Elliot, pausing for a moment before smiling in his direction. "Well don't leave the young lady waiting, Elliot. Escort her."

"Y-Yes Blood." Elliot says, his ears tall and erect as he hops over to me. He holds out his arm as I stare at it, trying to figure out what to do. Escort ... as in, what people do when they go to prom or something? I've never got the chance to do that because I was so tall it was awkward for the boy to hold my arm. I hesitate before gently wrapping my arm around his, a blush slapping over my cheek from the near perfect fit we made. Ah~ I-I really like this. We are close in height b-but he's still just so much _bigger_ than I arm. And by gosh, I don't want to sound strange but I could hold his arm all day.

"Avery?" Elliot asks, snapping me back to attention.

"O-O-Oh, sorry, you, uh, you just have a really nice arm," I smile before mentally throwing myself off a cliff. That's so weird, why would I say that?!

"Ha ha, not as good as yours." He jokes, jutting a thumb towards his eye. A guilty shiver crawls down my arm as I weakly smile back. Without thinking I reach up, trailing my finger on the bottom rim of the black eye.

"Sorry about that." I softly say as he shrugs it off with a smile.

"That's alright."

"I sense there is an interesting story behind that black eye, Elliot. Do tell." Blood smiles as he guides us through the gardens with a few servants behind and in front of us.

"Ha! It was the strangest thing, Blood. After she agreed to come I took her hand so we could get out of there faster and started arguing with that incubus's aide. And then, before I could turn around, she had already punched me right out!" He grins, looking extremely impressed by my embarrassing feat. Blood pauses in his stride, blinking in surprise as he looks back to me before back to Elliot. After a moment he snickers, casting his eye over the dog.

"It seems I need to get a new number two if the second in command of the Mafia continues to be bested by a woman." Blood chuckles, struggling his hardest not to burst into laughter right then and there. Elliot's face transforms from a smile to a look of horror.

"B-Blood-?!" He cries, sounding shocked at what he said, "b-but it's true! She's got a real rocket for an arm!"

"Yes, yes I'm sure she does." Blood teases with a collected smile, walking into a clearing where a large table and chairs were set up. Two were already taken up by two young boys who were squabbling over a pastry before they look up at us.

"It's about time you got here!" One complains as the other snags the strawberry pastry and downs it in one go.

"Yeah! We've been waiting fore~ver!" The other says with a victorious grin and mouth full of food.

"Hey, that was mine!" He shouts, angrily smacking his twin across the chest and makes him gag on the food he was choking down.

"You snooze, you lose!" The other grins as he tries to defend himself through his laughter, pushing the other one back and knocks him against the table. Blood sighs and ignores the boys bantering, going ahead and taking his seat at the head of the table.

"Hey, knock it off you brats!" Elliot harshly growls, letting go of my arm and rounding the table to the misbehaving boys. I giggle under my breath, enjoying the fighting. They remind me of my two older youngest brothers when they fight at the table and then the oldest, Jeffery, has to be the one to separate them.

"Stupid chicken rabbit!"

"Yeah, you're not a part of this. Butt out cheek face!" They continue to shout insults and struggle to hit each other while defending themselves against Elliot. His eyes narrow as the grabs them both by the back of the shirt, ripping them out of their seats before sitting them back down.

"That's enough out of the both of you. We have a guest." He huffs, gesturing over me. I stiffen slightly as they look over to me, clearly still mad about being reprimanded before their faces fall blank. I nervously gulp, my fingers tightening around the leash.

"U-U-Um, hello, my name is-,"

"A giraffe!" One shouts, pointing to me. W-What?! Giraffe?! My face deepens in color from the startlingly original name calling. I've never been called a giraffe before.

"Wow, you're so tall!" The other says as they hop out of their seats and head towards me with excited grins. Jett looses a low growl of warning before I tug on the leash.

"Fuss." I order. Almost immediately the dog leaves my side, slipping his leash out of my fingers. O-Oh! I watch as he walks up to Blood, circling him once before lying down beside his chair. Oh, right, he looks just like Jeffery so he's going to go to him and not me.

"Big sis, how tall are you?" One asks as he jumps up and hugs my arm, looking up to me with sparkling eyes.

"So cool! You're like a giant!" They buzz excitedly, pulling me towards their seats.

"We want big sis to come sit with us!" They excitedly cry, already sitting me down before I can say anything to protest. I-I was actually hoping to sit next to Elliot. He's kind and I wanted to talk to him a little more. But, this is alright. They look like cute kids.

"Ha. You two look like shrimp compared to her." Elliot teases, eager to get back at the twins for acting immature earlier.

"Better to be shorter in stature than _weaker_, wouldn't you say?" Blood says before taking a sip of his tea.

"Weaker?"

"Did chicken rabbit get beat up by big sis giraffe?"

"Ha ha! What a loser! Did you get the black eye from her too?!" They laugh, pointing right at Elliot's whose cheeks brightened in color before glaring at them. And~ here comes the mocking. I feel bad for him.

"U-Um, it was an accident, really. I-I caught him f-from behind and-," I start, trying to clear it up for them before they start laughing harder.

"Chicken rabbit got beat by a gir~l~!" They loudly shout, wanting the whole world to hear about it.

"Hey- shut up you brats!" Elliot growls, looking like he wanted to jump across the table and throttle the both of them. I calmly sip some of the tea with a smile, enjoying their bantering. Cute~ I've missed this, that's for sure.

"Ha ha! Chicken rabbit got beat by a _girl_!"

"I did not!" He growls back.

"Avery." Blood's voice calls through the commotion. I look up, watching as he pats the spot next to him. Oh, he wants me to sit next to him? I stand up, surprisingly going unnoticed by the bickering trio, and walk around the table to the spot beside Blood. A servant pulls the chair out for me and lets me sit down before pushing it back in. Hee, I've never been treated like this before. It's ... nice.

"I apologize for my subordinates. They can often get unruly with each other." He sighs, taking another sip of tea.

"Oh, no I prefer it. It reminds me of dinner time with my brothers." I chuckle, also taking a sip of the tea that was in front of me.

"So you have siblings. How many?" He asks, curious.

"I have five older brothers. I'm the baby girl in it all." I breathe out a smile, lightly laughing at the thought.

"How interesting. And they often say the youngest is the most selfish of the family but I'm not sensing much of that from you." He smiles.

"Um, thank you?" I sheepishly smile, unsure if that was a compliment or not.

"I'm interested in the brother who you claim to be my double. Tell me about him." He orders more so than asks, taking a bite out of a blueberry crumpet.

"Well, he is a police officer of the K9 unit." I start out, thinking about things to tell him about.

"And tell me more about that aspect of him. K9 as in dog, yes?"

"Yes. Instead of another person he has a trained dog for a companion. His first one was Jaiden who is resting at Clover Tower now, and Jett is his most recent." I say, looking over the tired dog. He looks like he hasn't slept a wink. "But Jett was forced to retire early."

"And why is that?" He asks, watching Elliot continue to argue with the twins.

"He was injured on the job by a bullet wound to the foreleg. He still has a limp there because it's healing." I explain, glancing over Jett's glossy coat. "He still acts like a police dog because of that."

"I see. That is interesting to know." He smiles. "Though it troubles me to think there is another me out there somewhere in your world."

"Is it? You both may look alike but your personalities are different. Oh, I have a picture of my brothers." I say, pulling out my wallet and taking out a recent picture taken of my family, excluding our parents. He takes the photo and looks at it, his eyes glued to the man in the back with a police uniform on and Jett and Jaiden to either side of him.

"Interesting ... and what was it you commanded the dog earlier?" He asks, setting the picture back in my hands.

"Oh. I hold him blieb, which means to stay." Jett's head tilts my way hearing the command but not needing to do anything about it since he was already still.

"I see ... and what are his other commands? I'm interested in knowing them." He smiles.

"W-Why do you want to know them?"

"Well, I figured if 'Jett' is going to be following me around during your time here in Wonderland I might as well learn how to properly use him." Blood smiles as my blood runs cold. U-Use him? For mafia work?!

"I-I'm sorry, but Jett isn't suited to be a working police dog anymore. H-He still has an injury." I say, trying to talk him out of it. I-I need to leave with Jett as soon as I can. I can't let him do mafia work. That's the exact opposite of police work!

"Injuries heal." Blood simply answers, taking a sip of his tea.

"I-I'm sorry, but I decline." I politely say, nervously gulping as I carefully watch for his next move. I don't want to teach him the commands because I have a feeling Jett will listen to Blood over me.

"I'm sorry to hear that." He says, setting his tea cup down before standing up. "I'm afraid I have to excuse myself for now. I have some paperwork to finish." He starts to walk off with Jett following beside him before I can reach out and grab his leash. No, bad Jett don't follow him!

"M-M-May I have my dog back?" I stutter, listening to the sudden dead silence of the table. O-Oh dear ...

"Well, if he chooses to follow me, who am I to deny him of that?" He cheekily responds with a smile. My heart drops to the pit of my stomach as Elliot suddenly stands up, banging into the table a little bit as he looks to Blood in shock.

"B-But Blood, why keep that dog when you have me?" Elliot asks, startled by his decision. I look over to Elliot's expression, spying the not so well covered up hurt in his eyes.

"That is my final stance, Elliot. Show Miss Avery to her room. It will be nice having her stay for a bit."

"Yes, Blood." Elliot pouts, his ears flopping down.

"W-Wait, _stay_?" I stammer, suddenly feeling very uneasy. The way he says it doesn't make it sound like I have much of a choice at all.

"Yes. I wish to keep a close eye on you for the time being so, if you will, cooperate and everything will run smoothly." He smiles. T-Threat! I smell a threat in that! "Is that a problem?" He asks in a tone that reeks of if-you-try-to-leave-you-will-not-make-it-out-the-front-gate kind of voice. My cheeks start to flush with fright, trapped as to what I can do in this situation. H-How do I react?!

...

"N-No, that's not a problem." I agree, my eyes on the table. Oh goodness I'm gonna die~!

"Excellent. I look forward to your company, Miss Avery."

* * *

Poor Avery I almost feel bad for her lol. Voting is still going on but keep in mind that the final decision is mine alone and as to who I feel will suit Avery the best and encourage her to be herself. **_10 REVIEWS_** for the next chapter~ ALSO is ANYONE else having trouble posting new chapters to stories, of any sorts?


	6. Chapter 6

"T-Thank you, Elliot." I hesitantly say, sheepishly looking off to the side and nervously rubbing my arm. It's because of him I was able to at least come and see that Jett is safe, even though Jett will be following the head of the mafia around and now I'm trapped here for the foreseeable future. Wah~ my brother is going to kill me~

"For what?" He asks after a moment, pulled from his consuming thoughts as we head down the hallway to I assume what will be my room for my stay here.

"For bringing me here to see my dog." I cheerfully smile, trying to look at the positive rather than the negative. I'm sure if I really wanted to leave I could pretend I'm going out for a walk and make a run for it, but I'm sure that's naive thinking on my end.

"Hm ... ," he slightly grunts, his eyes sliding away to avoid my gaze. Uh oh. Does he not like dogs? I feel a frightened chill crawl up my spine. Oh goodness what if he doesn't like Jett at all and wants him dead?! "J-Jett is really a good dog, I assure you. He has a mean streak in him b-b-but he's still a lovable dog-!"

"Good enough to be considered the new second in command of the mafia?" He near pouts, eyes looking sad and vulnerable while he openly huffs. S-Second in command-?!

"N-NO!" I nearly shriek, mortified at the thought. Then he'll have to go on d-dangerous runs a-and oh my goodness _sit downs_ too-! "Of course not! No matter how good of a dog Jett is there is no possible way he could do that!" How in the world could anyone think that?! T-T-This may not be my world but a freaky, cross dimensional time thing b-b-but don't at least a few principles of senses last through the ages?! He stops in front of a door, ears fixated on me as he happily grins.

"Ha ha! I knew a dog couldn't replace me!" He laughs, opening the door to the room and steps aside.

"R-Replace you?" I say, startled at the thought. "Did you really think Jett could replace you?"

"Well, we are both dogs and I was worried from Blood's comment earlier, but now I feel more reassured and I have you to thank." He grins. A dog? I look up, staring at his ears. But ... those aren't the ears of a dog at all. In fact, I'm not sure if they are rabbit ears. Maybe, donkey ears?

"Um, you're welcome?" I say, still observing his ears.

"Well, I'll stop bothering you so you can get some sleep," he grins before pausing, "unless you're not tired, then I guess I could give you a tour of the Mansion."

"O-O-Oh, um, no need," although I would like one and I'm not tired, "I don't want to trouble you at all." I say with a bashful smile.

"No trouble at all. Come on." He encourages with a wave of his hand and starts walking away.

"U-Um, no, I mean you should rest." I say, trailing after him worriedly. I can get the tour from someone else, but he definitely needs some rest himself. Everyone sleeps at night, don't they? And it's night right now.

"Why? I'm not tired." He says, his ear twitching. Oh dear how do I-oh.

"O-Other people will be asking about that bruise. I don't think you'd want to hear that ridicule." I smile, hoping I got him this way. He didn't seem too happy about the twins saying it to his face so how about a servant?

"That's alright because I'll just shoot them if they mock me." He says with a grin.

"N-No, you mustn't do that-!" I cry, shocked by the joke. I shouldn't take him seriously, just like with Gray of what he said about Ace, b-but death ... shouldn't lightly be joked about. Especially not after-

"Why not?" He asks, looking perplexed.

"U-Um-! Rumors! Y-You don't want rumors floating around that I-I gave you that black eye," and for my sake, too, "s-s-so you should rest until it looks better." I argue. I'm used to using logic for arguing because I've had five older brothers. Granted, they didn't often listen to me, but it was my only chance at persuading them. Elliot's cheeks touch with pink as he glances away, looking embarrassed. He knows I'm right.

"I-I guess so." He agrees, running a hand through his hair and self consciously covering up his eye with his hand.

"Exactly. So, you go ahead and rest, and I will get you an ice pack, alright?" I smile, happy to stay here and help him instead. I really don't want him going around and people finding out I gave him a black eye. T-Then I'll become known for that and ... and I don't want to go through that again. I internally shiver, my smile towards Elliot weakening a bit.

"If you insist." He lets out a small sigh, slumping back to his room with his hand, whether he realized it or not, covering up the black eye. "The infirmary is just down the hall and to your left. The staff will direct you there."

"T-Thank you, Elliot." I say as a faint blush crawls over my cheeks. He's ... got such a broad back. Heh, I used to wrestle with my brothers when I was younger and then massage their shoulders and backs when I punched too hard. They were good brothers, restraining themselves so they wouldn't hurt me while I went all out. But as to who would win now, I'm not so sure.

I start heading towards where he directed me, turning the corner and bumping into someone. My hand shoots out and grabs her wrist to stop her from falling over.

"S-Sorry." I automatically say, looking the faceless in the ... not, the eyes? I glance away, still uncomfortable seeing their faces looking like this. It freaks me out.

"Oh, not to worry. And, you would be ... ?" The stiff maid asks, holding firm to an ice pack in her hands.

"A-Avery. I came to the t-tea party earlier." I sheepishly smile. Ah~ she must be a little intimidated by my height.

"Um, is that going to Elliot's room?" I ask, hoping it is so I don't have to get lost in the Mansion looking for the room like in the woods with Ace earlier looking for Clover Tower.

"O-Oh, yes it is," she stutters, holding it up for me to see the slightly watery ice within the bad swish around. She tries to manage a sweet smile but it gets a little mangled with fear.

"D-Do you mind if I take it to him?" I hesitantly ask. She stares for a few moments, looking as if she is about to say no before smiling more earnestly.

"O-oh, an admirer of Master March, I see? Of course," she haughtily chuckles, handing it off to me without much resistance. "Now if you excuse me there is a mess I need to clean up. As you see, someone spilled fruit punch on the floor." She smiles, gesturing her hand over the hall which had red liquid pooled on the ground. In the center of the puddle with a beautiful looking clock with a small rose on it.

"Oh, you p-probably shouldn't leave the clock in the fruit juice like that." I say, walking past her and up to the strange smelling puddle.

"N-N-Not to worry, miss-!" She says, getting more flustered as she comes up behind me. I bend over and gently sweep the clock up in my hand, the warm liquid dripping through my fingers and leaving stains in the cracks of my skin. Weird, why is the fruit punch warm? Maybe they sell it differently from here.

"O-Oh, no, n-n-n-n-now you've gotten fruit juice on your fingers." She stutters, whipping her hands forward with a wet rag as she wipes off my hands and the clock. "A-And to make it smell better~," she says, taking out a bottle of perfume and sprays it of my hand and the clock.

"Oh, thank you. But, may I ask why this juice smells so odd?" I ask, trying to smell it again through the perfume. I couldn't be sure but earlier it almost smelled like-

"B-Blood! Oh, I-I, forgive me for my outburst, M-Master Blood-!" The maid suddenly cries, making a small bow towards me. I look back, gently cradling the clock in hand as Blood smiles over the both of us. Jett looks down the hall and starts to menacingly snarl.

"Seien Sie still," I quietly snap, making his jaw shut but his growls only softened.

"Yes, that _is_ my name, isn't it?" He chuckles, looking over me with a glint in his eye. "I apologize for interrupting but 'Jett' here smelled something awfully odd coming from these halls. Almost that of ... betrayal, I think?" He says, directing his gaze over to the woman who's fingers trembled.

"Betrayal?" I ask. Wait, betrayal of what?

"I see you've found the clock I've been looking for. May I have it back?" He smiles, holding out his hand for the beautifully engraved clock.

"O-Oh, of course." I say, handing it back to its supposed owner.

"Thank you. Another servant, I'm thinking." He says, tapping the clock to his chin as he stares at the maid. "Go ahead and bring that ice pack to Elliot. I'm sure he'll like it sooner than later." Blood continues to smile over the trembling girl. Uh oh, I'll bet she was trying to clean up the mess before Blood saw it. It's best if I don't interrupt. It's not like the penalty of her mistake will be death itself.

"Y-Yeah." I agree, trotting down the hall but I cast a glance back. I hope he isn't too rough on her. I hurry to Elliot's room, hesitating before knocking on his door.

"C-Can I come in, Elliot?" I ask, listening for his response. I jump back as the door unlocks, watching Elliot open the door. His hair is damp, probably from a shower and wasn't wearing his cloak or belts. "Here's your ice pack."

"Oh, thank you. Come on in." He says, stepping aside for me. O-Oh, go into his room with him? My cheeks touch with pink as I step inside, stiff as brick as I hear him shut the door.

"Make yourself at home. Blood gave me Night off this Time Change." He says as he walks over to the dresser. M-Make myself at home ...

"O-Ok?" I hesitantly say, not understanding what he meant. I-I guess I'll just sit on the couch? I walk over and sit on the couch, listening to him moving around behind me. "Um, do you want me to get you some medicine for your eye too?"

"No, that's alright. This'll be gone in a Time Change, easy." He says as he pops around the side of the long couch, gently rubbing his ear with a hand towel to help dry it off.

"Here, l-let me dry your hair." I offer with a smile.

"Oh, alright." He says as he sits down on the couch. I shift to my knees and take the towel, gently rubbing his hair downward so I don't put knots in his hair. My cheeks pull into a happy smile as I dry off his hair. I use to do this for my older younger brother. He would get up, shower, and then sit on the couch with wet hair and refused to do it himself. Honestly, he was so stubborn.

"Thanks." He says, the faintest hum to his voice as I pull the towel away from nearly dried hair. I sit back down and hang the towel over the arm of the couch, moving the pillow that was between up onto my lap for the time being. I don't want him to think I'm rude putting it on the ground.

"Not a problem." I smile, reaching over to the table and picking up the ice pack. "And here's your ice pack," I say as he shifts on the couch. I look up as he lays down, resting the back of his head on a pillow in my lap. My cheeks grow rosy and heart races fast as I stare at the calm faced man who notices my near panic.

"What's wrong?" He asks, staring at me with puzzled eyes.

"U-U-Um la-lap?" Is all I squeak out in my embarrassment. W-What do I do?! H-H-How would a 'normal' girl react to this? He blankly stares at me, his ears twitching.

"Is my head hurting you?" He asks, concerned.

"N-Not at all." I nervously stammer.

"Well, you said you wanted to help so I thought you meant by holding the ice pack on my eye."

"Y-Yes, I can do that." I say, taking the ice bag and setting it over his eye.

"Thanks." He sighs, relaxing a little bit. My fingers tremble slightly as I hold the top of the bag, staring at his face as he closes his eye for a bit.

"Um, d-do you not like dogs, Elliot?" I ask a little suddenly, hoping he doesn't say no. He didn't seem to hit it off with Jett for some reason earlier and looked mad. He seems to really, really dislike him a-and that's not good!

"Hm? Not like them? I am one." He says, pointing to his ears. I stare at his long ears for a few moments, confused.

"You're _not_ a rabbit?" I ask, reassuring myself of what he meant. I always thought he was one.

"W-What?! Of course not! These are dog ears, _dog_!" He vehemently denies, shooting up so he's sitting on the couch. I lean back, flustered at his sudden movement and clutch the bag of ice in my hands. He turns around with a sharp pout, looking almost upset I thought he was a dog.

"O-Oh, sorry. It's just that rabbit fur is softer than dog fur and your fur looks softer than the average dog." I point out, staring at the very soft looking fur. There's no way he's a dog. He has to be some other type of animal with fur that soft unless he conditions his ears every hour which I doubt.

"T-They aren't!" He reassures, ears pressing against his head. Maybe I really am wrong? But they look _just_ like rabbit ears.

"A-Alright then, let me test them." I say, sitting onto my knees as I stare at his ears. I'm sure he won't mind if I'm gentle enough.

"T-Test them?" He asks, stiffening as I reach up and gently grasp the base of his right ear. "U-Urk-!" He grunts in the back of his throat, flinching down slightly as I softly stroke his ear. The short, soft fur slides beneath my fingers very nicely as I slide my hand up, ruffling his hair a little bit with my other hand as I stare at the shape of his ears.

"You're ears are definitely softer than a dogs." I say. But, if he wants to believe he's a dog, who am I to deny him that? "but it's definitely dog like fur."

"Ha! Of course it is!" He cheerfully grins, a victorious glint in his eye. I smile at his enthusiasm and gently keep rubbing his ear, listening his grunting thrums in his chest. His grin falters into a soft smile before and almost hazy look enters his eye. A faint touch of pink crawls over his cheeks as his head cranes to the side, clearly enjoying the treatment. Cute~

"I-Is it alright if I pet you?" I ask, deciding to actually ask now that I'm satisfied. I can go either way now but I'd rather keep petting him. His ears are _really_ soft and nice to pet.

"Hn~ y-ye ... ah," he grunts between his flurrying bunny purrs. I giggle and gently leave a trailing finger on the inside of his ear, watching his eyes roll back in relaxation. His head falls forward and gently rests on my shoulder with his forehead in the crook of my neck. I softly smile at his funny expression and pull my hand back. His thrumming purrs continue and slowly begin to fade away. He lets out a longing sigh, the warm air rolling over my collarbone.

I shiver at his hot breath, suddenly conscious of his hair tickling my skin and his warmth seeping into my shoulder. W-What do I do? Do I continue petting him o-or push him back? I hesitantly reach up, setting one hand on his shoulder to shove him back if needed and the other in his hair, shakily playing with a wavy orange locks.

U-Um ... is this alright to do? I-I don't think it's _that_ weird, right? I-I guess I'll just wait until he decides he's good? I shift on the couch and lean back but he heavily lies against me, pushing me back down against the couch. Ha ... ha? My fingers trail up to his ear, rekindling the grunting thrums deep in his chest. His breathing starts to become more even as I continue petting his ear, waiting for him to say something.

Um ... I think he fell asleep. Well, this certainly is a bit strange to let a grown man fall asleep while laying against my shoulder. I have to admit that's a first for me. My head rests back against the arm of the couch, getting comfortable with how this has turned out.

Elliot takes in a deep breath before nuzzling his head a little closer, catching my attention. I glance over his manly features and strong broad jaw, feeling my heart lightly tremble. I surprised myself at knocking this strong man out in one go but it's all about placement in fighting. You can punch someone in the same spot a hundred times and they won't drop but make a really good hit to a vital area and they are down for the count. My fingers comb through his hair and gently twirl a strand around in my finger, listening to his gentle thrumming. Cute~!

I slightly jump as a soft light suddenly starts to glow outside the room. My gaze whips over to the window, spying the last shred of Night vanish to Dawn. I-I really don't think I will get used to that. My fingers stiffen as I hear a light knocking on the door.

"Master March, I'm sorry to say but your break is over. Master Dupre needs you to run to town and finish up some business." Someone outside the door says. Elliot takes in a sharp and deep inhale of breath, his eyes cracking open as he wakes out of his sleepy trance.

"Well, breaks over," He heavily sighs before pushing against the couch on either side of my head, sitting up to his knees, "I was hoping to get some sleep but that was a fast Night." He chuckles, looking back to me. He blinks, looking puzzled. "Oh, you are still here?"

"Y-Yeah. You fell asleep on m-me." I stutter. He blankly stares at me before a touch of pink lights up his cheeks.

"O-Oh, did I? Sorry about that." He says, seeming embarrassed that he had fallen asleep.

"N-No worries, it's alright." I reassure with a smile, noticing his perfect face. "H-Hey, what happened to your black eye?" I ask, pointing to his face. He reaches up, touching around his eye with his fingers.

"It must have healed up faster than I thought." He grins, acting like it was completely normal. B-But his eye was completely black a few minutes ago!

"B-B-But eye-!"

"Master March, you really should hurry." The servant from the other side of the door calls.

"I'm coming." Elliot calls back as he slips his cloak and belts on, along with his scarf. "You can go ahead and rest here if you don't want to return to your room, I don't mind." He grins before heading towards the door. I gawk as he leaves, quietly shutting the door behind him.

"B-B-B-But _eye_! His eye was black literally minutes ago-!" How is that possible?!

* * *

My final choice for who Avery will be paired with will be announced in the next chapter. Remember to vote for who you want and that the ultimate choice belongs to myself as the writer. Thank you for expressing your opinions as they will be taken into account while I make my choice. **_10 REVIEWS_** for the next chapter~ Oh yeah and ideas as to what you think will happen would be nice I just hit a wall :D


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